Beautiful Soul
by Selise Grimswood
Summary: Antoinette Leroux is a sixteen year old girl who meets a pitiful caged man in a carnival. Will she let his appearance frighten her away or will she help him to become free? What exactly happened to Erik before he arrived at the Paris Opera House? ErikOC
1. Chapter 1

Sixteen-year-old Antoinette Leroux lived alone with her father since her mother died when Antoinette was only three. Ever since her mother died, her father drank heavily and abused the girl. The only happiness she knew came form an old violin she had inherited from her mother.

She had been taught to play by an old lady who used to live nearby, but the old lady had been dead now for almost five years. Antoinette, in memory of the lady and of her mother, played her violin everyday even though it never failed to spark her father's anger.

One summer afternoon she was walking on a hill near her house and saw a carnival being set up. Maybe they needed help with something! Antoinette didn't have anything else to do and the call of possibly being paid money was strong, so she ran down the hill to the carnival where she found a tall, muscled man leading animals into a tent.

"Is there anything you need help with?" Antoinette asked him, slightly nervous by his huge frame.

The man stopped and looked down at her. "The boss doesn't like outsiders to help," he responded. "And there's no work for a girl to do here." He started to go back to work, but she stopped him.

"I can do anything you can do!" she said, but knew it was a lie. "You don't have to pay me and your boss doesn't need to know, does he?"

The man sighed. "Fine, but if the boss finds out, I've never seen you before. Understood?"

Four hours later the man pulled Antoinette aside and took out a slip of paper form his pocket. "Here," he said, handing it to her. It was a ticket to the carnival. "This is for your help."

"Thank you!" Antoinette said taking the ticket. She smiled up at him. "May I explore a little before going home…..Monsieur….?" she trailed, not knowing his name.

The man gave her a warm look. "Just call me Gustav," he answered. "And yes, you may. But if you're caught by the boss-"

"You've never seen me," she finished and ran off.

She came to a tent and went inside, finding cages of animals lining the tent walls.

As she walked through, she heard sobbing. She wondered what animal could possibly make that sound. She realized it was human. Immediately she went in search of the pitiful soul that was sobbing as if their entire world had crashed down on them.

Antoinette came to a large cage with a harp sitting in the middle of it. 'What's a harp doing here?' she thought. She looked closer and saw the thin form of a man curled into a ball against the farthest set of bars in the cage. This person's body was nearly convulsing from the force of his sobs.

Why was this man in a cage?! Antoinette's heart ached for this person. It was clear his pain was emotional and not physical despite his being as thin as a skeleton.

The man didn't seem to notice her, so she took a step forward and opened her mouth to speak.

Before she could make a sound, a hand clamped over her mouth and drug her struggling out of the tent.


	2. Chapter 2

Before Antoinette could make a sound, a hand clamped over her mouth and drug her struggling out of the tent. Once out, she was released. She turned around and saw that her captor was Gustav.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded. "Why were you in there?! Never go back in there!"

Antoinette shrank back from him. "…But that person was crying…"

Gustav gazed past her towards the tent. "You would cry too if you spent your life in a cage," he murmured.

"Why is he locked up?!" she demanded. "No human deserves to be locked in a cage like an animal! That's horrible!"

"He's not human!" he said loudly, turning to face her fully. "He's a monster; a demon! He is extremely dangerous and will not hesitate to kill anyone [inormal![/i"

Antoinette frowned in confusion. "What do you mean 'normal'?" she asked.

Gustav stooped down so that he was eye-level with her. "He isn't normal," he said darkly. "…He is like a corpse that is risen from the grave…His body is dead, yet he still lives!"

Antoinette stared at him gravely. "…Don't lie to me just to scare me away from this tent…" she said. Surely he was lying. He had to be! No one could possibly be like that! …Could they?

"I'm no lying," he said seriously. He reached out and took hold of her shoulders. "You must promise to never go back inside that tent!"

"…I won't," she promised. She did pity the man in the cage, but if he was locked away, surely it was for a good reason.

Gustav let go of her and nodded as he stood straight again. "Good," he said. "Now I think it's time for you to go home."

To Be Continued

AN: Sorry about the shortness of the chapters. I used to write monster chapters, but people told me that they wouldn't read it since they were so long.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter three! **

Antoinette woke the next morning, the caged man completely forgotten. She dressed quickly and snuck into her father's bedroom. He was lying on top of the quilts, a half empty bottle in his hand. He had passed out from drink so he'd be out most of the day. Antoinette wouldn't be missed.

She found his money bag and took some from it. The money wouldn't be missed, either. Her father would just figure he'd spent it the night before on ale.

Antoinette then silently slipped out of the house and ran to the carnival.

It was around ten o'clock, so the carnival was open and accepting visitors. She showed the ticket Gustav had given her and entered. She was surprised at how many people were there so early.

Antoinette walked around for a few hours, looking at the animals and performers doing amazing acrobatics and stunts. She finally came up to a tent with a huge crowd surrounding it. A sign was posted in front reading, "The Living Corpse".

Suddenly she remembered the crying man from yesterday. Gustav's warning about the man whose body was dead yet was still alive flashed in her mind. Was this "Living Corpse" the same man?

She approached the tent, her promise to Gustav forgotten. As she drew near, the sounds of a harp playing and a beautiful male voice drifted from the tent and surrounded her as if she were in a blanket of sweet music.

Eager to see who could possibly sing so beautifully, Antoinette pushed her way through the crowd, but by the time she got inside the song had ended.

A soft male's voice then spoke, asking the crowd to leave him. The crowd slowly dispersed, but Antoinette fought the current of people and found herself standing alone in front of a cage.

It_ was_ the same person! He was sitting on a stool next to the harp, looking down at the straw in his cage. She had never seen anyone look so miserable. Suddenly the man noticed her and looked up sharply.

Antoinette couldn't contain her gasp. His face really was that of a dried corpse! On one side of his face his top lip was deteriorated to show his teeth. He had no nose, only a black hole, and his eyes were sunken into their sockets. However they gave an unearthly yellow glow.

His skin was papery yellow and he had thin black hair covering his head. His body was nothing but a skeleton's frame with skin stretched over his bones like a drum's head. To top off his gruesome, yet pitiful appearance, tattered clothing covered his body.

**TBC**

**AN: CC is welcomed greatly. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

His skin was papery yellow and he had thin black hair covering his head. His body was nothing but a skeleton's frame with skin stretched over his bones like a drum's head. To top off his gruesome, yet pitiful appearance, tattered clothing covered his body.

He cocked his head to the side; his eyes searching her face. "What do you want?" he asked softly.

It seemed so strange to hear this animated corpse talk, and with such a beautiful voice, that Antoinette wasn't able to respond right away out of shock.

He frowned and his eyes darkened. "Fine," he said with a heavy sigh. "Go ahead and stare. When you've had your fill, leave."

She blinked, coming out of her shock, and shook her head. She took a step forward towards him. "No, I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I didn't mean to stare. I truly didn't."

He gave her a look that clearly stated that he didn't believer her for a second.

"I didn't come to gawk, I swear!" she said.

"Then why did you come?" he asked darkly, his eyes nailing her to the spot.

"I….I heard you crying yesterday," she said softly. "I was wondering if you were ok."

Suddenly he gave a harsh laugh. "Of course I'm ok!" he said with heavy sarcasm. "I live like an animal, locked away in this cage, performing for the jeering crowd who point and laugh as they throw things at me. Why wouldn't I be ok?"

Antoinette turned pink and looked at her feet. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "It was foolish to ask."

He sighed and stood. He walked to the bars. "Don't apologize," he said taking hold of a bar with one skeletal hand. "I'm not used to kindness," he said. "[iI[/i apologize…"

Antoinette smiled softly and pulled up a stool to the cage and sat. He looked down at her quizzically. She looked up at him with a smile. "You must be lonely," she said. "I'm visiting you."

He stared at her in surprise before giving a small smile and pulling his stool up to the bars of the cage. He sat too. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Antoinette."

"That's a beautiful name," he said.

She turned her face away to hide a slight embarrassed blush. No one had ever complimented her name before. "Thank you," she said. "What's your name?"

"No one has ever asked me that before," he said in a pleased voice. "My name is Erik."

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to a friend of mine who suggested the name of the story. I am terrible with names.**

**Chapter Five!**

"Erik," she repeated. It was a good, and surprisingly normal, name for such a man. "How old are you?" she asked out of the blue.

His brow furrowed for a minute and he didn't answer for a while. Finally he looked up at her. "I'm….twenty-three…" he said uncertainly. Then his tone grew more confident as he nodded. "Yes. I'm twenty-three. How old are you?"

Antoinette couldn't believe that he had to think so hard about his age. "I'm sixteen; nearly seventeen."

"You're practically an adult," Erik said. "Surely you have a husband and children waiting for you at home?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't."

"No?" he said in disbelief. "Not even a suitor?"

She flushed in embarrassment. She was the only one she knew of who didn't at least have a suitor. "No," she said. "I don't have anyone. I'm too….I don't know. I just don't catch anyone's fancy."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly. "Your kindness would make someone very happy."

"I don't mind not having someone," she said. That was only half true. Sometimes she was perfectly fine with it and other times she would be miserable.

"You're different than most women, then," he smiled. "But it's a good thing sometimes."

"I _am_ different than most women," she agreed. "Most women wouldn't have the courage to sit and speak with you." Suddenly she realized what she said and clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry!" she said. "I didn't mean that you're…I mean…" she trailed, knowing she had just stuck her foot in her mouth.

To her relief, though, he wasn't angry, though he did give a self-loathing smile. "Don't apologize," he said softly. "You are only speaking the truth. I'm horrifying…"

Antoinette didn't answer, and just stared at the ground.

Suddenly he spoke up, startling her. "Do you like magic tricks?" he asked.

"Yes, why?"

He smiled. "Do you by chance have any money?"

She dug into her dress pocket and pulled out a piece of paper money she had. "Only a franc," she said.

"May I see it?" he asked, holding out his hand. She gave him the money. "Look into my eyes for a moment," he told her smoothing the money out in his hand.

She obeyed and instantly felt herself fall into his eyes. They no longer had a yellow tint to them. They were actually dark brown and so deep that one could drown in them.

All too soon he looked away. "Your eyes are beautiful," she said in awe.

"Thank you," he said inclining his head a little to her. "…Unfortunately my eyes are the only things beautiful about me…" he added bitterly, his voice filled with self-loathing.

"That's not true!" she said loudly, startling him. "You have a beautiful soul! I know I just met you, but I can tell you are very kind!"

Erik smiled, but shook his head. "Now, the magic trick," he said changing the subject.

He balled it up in a tight ball and held it out to her. "Just paper, right?" he said and she nodded. He closed his fist and opened it again. Flame burst from his palm, consuming the money.

Antoinette cried out in shock, leaning back away from the bars.

He smiled and closed his fist again, extinguishing the fire. He opened it again and a small white bird was sitting in his palm.

"There you have it," he said.

She cried out in surprise at seeing the bird, then clapped in delight. "How did you do that?" she asked.

"A magician never tells his secrets," Erik said with a secretive smile. "Give me your hand."

**TBC!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"A magician never tells his secrets," Erik said with a secretive smile. "Give me your hand."

Antoinette extended her hand past the bars and into the cage. He took her hand in his and opened her palm. She was shocked at how unnaturally cold he was.

Erik noticed her shock. He smiled terribly in self-loathing. "Erik is cold, yes? Cold as death!"

She couldn't lie and nodded, wondering at his sudden change to referring to himself in the third-person.

"Here," he said softly, placing the tiny bird in to her hand. "Take this and release it outside. No living creature should be held in captivity."

Antoinette held the animal to her chest as she stood. She promised to return and left the tent. She lifted her hand into the air and the bird flew away towards the sun. She smiled and re-entered the tent.

As she was walking back to Erik's cage, two boys around her age pushed past her and stood by his cage. One kicked Antoinette's stool away. They began to throw rotten fruit at him while chanting insults.

Erik had nowhere to go to escape the fruits being thrown at him so he curled up in a far corner and covered his head with his hands to protect himself. The two boys ran out of fruit so one picked up a nearby rod to hit him with.

"Stop it!" Antoinette cried as she ran to them. "Leave him alone!"

She shoved them away and stood between them and the cage, her arms spread wide in a barrier. Erik, who had rotten fruit juice running down his body, lifted his head and stared at her in disbelief. No one had done anything like that for him before!

"He hasn't done anything to you!" Antoinette cried angrily.

The boys sneered at her. "Why are you protecting this _thing?_" one asked.

"Because you have no right to do this to him!"

One laughed. "Do you _love_ this thing?" he jeered. "Are you hopelessly in love with it? Is that why you're protecting it?"

"I'm protecting him because he doesn't deserve to be treated this way!" she responded not budging. "Leave him alone! You are such cowards to torment someone who can't defend himself!"

"You call us cowards?!" one said in anger.

The other advanced towards her. "If you love a freak, that makes you a freak too!" he yelled and swung the rod he held at her. It caught her in the ribs, knocking her away to the ground. Antoinette moaned in pain on the ground, holding her side.

"Are you alright?!" Erik asked urgently as he got to his feet.

"Nn…" was all she said. She felt dizzy; he had hit her hard.

"Bastards…" Erik growled in rage. He thrust his arm through the bars and grabbed one of the boys' throats. Erik lifted him off the ground and shook him with amazing strength. The boy's friend screamed in fear.

Instantly the man who was in charge of Erik's tent ran in carrying a huge club. He reared back his arm and hit Erik hard upside his head, making him let go of the boy. The two tormenters ran out, but the man kept hitting and hitting Erik. The man seemed to take much pleasure in this.

Finally the man left, leaving Erik lying bloody and motionless on the straw in his cage.

"Are you all right?" Antoinette asked in pain. Erik didn't move. "Erik? Erik, answer me!" What if the man killed him?! "Erik!" she cried, painfully pulling herself up to a sitting position against the cage.

**TBC…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Erik groaned suddenly and pushed himself up. He coughed harshly and spat out a spew of blood.

Antoinette couldn't handle it. Her nerves were shot and now she had to endure the sight of him vomit blood. She just couldn't take it. She turned away just in time to throw up away from him. As she was retching Erik reached out and placed his cold hand on her shoulder, supporting her.

"I apologize," Antoinette said softly, wiping her mouth. "I'm so sorry."

"No," he denied. "I shouldn't have lost my temper…"

"You were protecting me."

He looked at the ground. "…You protected _me_," he said with some strong emotion in his voice. "It means a lot. No one has ever done that for me before."

"I couldn't just let them-"

"HEY!" a man yelled then, making them both jump. They looked and saw Gustav standing in the entrance to the tent. He came in fully and grabbed Antoinette's arm, pulling her to her feet. "I _told_ you not to come back in here!" he said angrily. "Come on, and _don't_ let me catch you in here again!"

Antoinette had no choice but to follow Gustav out of the tent. As she left, she looked behind at Erik. He was standing and clutching the bars as he watched her leave.

"He's not dangerous!" she said once outside.

"He is!" Gustav countered. "Why do you think he stays locked up? All the others in our freak-show are allowed to roam free and even have their own trailer. Have you not wondered 'why not him too'?"

Antoinette bowed her head. She hadn't.

"I'll tell you why!" Gustav continued. "He pretends to be your friend, but then he attacks you without warning!" He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Please. I'm asking you to stay away from him. Go anywhere else you like, just not here! We've already had five people killed by his hand…"

That night Antoinette lay awake in bed listening to her father snoring in the next room, dead drunk again. She couldn't stop thinking about Erik despite Gustav's warnings. Was he ok? Was he cold? She couldn't stand the thought of him shivering in his cage.

Unable to simply lie there any longer, Antoinette got up and dressed. She snuck into the kitchen, filled a basket with food, and grabbed her warmest quilt. She snuck out the front door and ran to the carnival.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews. :)**

**Chapter Eight**

Antoinette found Erik asleep in his cage, his back against the closest bars. She decided it would be easiest to just slip the blanket and food into his cage without waking him.

Bad idea. As soon as her arm was through the bars, Erik's hand shot up and grabbed her arm. He got to his feet and began twisting her arm.

She was amazed at how strong his cold hands were! She couldn't imagine him to be this powerful and violent. Was Gustav right about him? Should she have kept away?!

Erik kept twisting her arm until she felt something pop in her shoulder. She let out a small cry of intense pain. "Erik!" she gasped in pain.

Instantly he stopped twisting her arm. "Antoinette?!" he said in the darkness.

"Yes…" she sobbed in a mixture of fear and pain.

"God!" he said in horror and let go of her. She pulled back and backed away from him.

Was Gustav right?! Was he really a monster?!

…No. He had let her go.

"I'm sorry!" Erik said. "I'm so sorry!" he pressed himself against the bars, clutching them tightly. "I didn't know it was you! What are you doing here?!" He sighed. "I thought you were someone coming to hurt me again…Next time let me know it's you and no harm will come to you, I swear!"

Antoinette could only nod as she sobbed, clutching her arm.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked softly.

"Yes…"

"I am so sorry," he said, his voice full of self-hatred. "Let me see your arm."

He reached out and very gently took her arm in his cold hands. He lifted and gently prodded her arm. Antoinette could hardly believe that these were the same hands that had brought her so much pain.

He cursed. "I dislocated your shoulder. I can set it if you trust me."

Antoinette looked into Erik's eyes and nodded.

"Don't scream," he said.

He pulled her shoulder to the bars and pushed her arm up while he held the rest of her body still. It didn't take long before her shoulder gave a dull, sickening pop and was back in place. She cried silently though all this, but never made a sound.

"Why did you come?" he asked, releasing her.

"I…I thought you were cold," she said, her face turned to the ground. She was trying her best to stop crying. "I brought you a quilt."

"Where is it?" he asked.

She picked up the fallen quilt and handed it to him. "It's the best blanket I have," she said. "I hope it keeps you warm."

Erik took it and wrapped it around himself. "God bless you," he said with an odd tone in his voice. "You are so kind… I've done nothing to deserve your kindness."

He wiped at his eyes and smiled. Then he noticed the basket of food. "What's that?" he asked.

Antoinette had completely forgotten about the food! She picked the basket up and offered it to him. "It's food," she said. "I didn't think you had much to eat, so…"

"Thank you," he said and took the basket. He opened it and devoured the bread and meat as if he hadn't eaten in days. "Did you cook this yourself?' he asked when he was finished.

"…I did," she said with a modest smile. The truth was that she had no choice but to cook everything herself. Her father refused to do it, saying that cooking was a woman's work.

"You are an excellent cook," he smiled, handing her back the empty basket.

"Thank you…" No one had ever complimented her cooking before.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the reviews! 3**

**Chapter Nine!**

Antoinette looked at the large lock on the cage door. "I want to get you out," she said suddenly.

"It's no use," he said. "They key is kept in the trailer belonging to a man called Pelo. It would be madness to even think of stealing the key from him." He finished his sentence with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"What does his trailer look like?" she asked casually.

"Oh, no," Erik said shaking his head. "I won't fall for that."

She sighed. She hadn't expected him to. "What does Pelo look like, by the way?"

He turned bitter then. "He's the man who beat me while you were here today."

Antoinette knew what he looked like now, at least…But that didn't help…

Wait!

She remembered suddenly that she had seen that man enter a blue and red trailer earlier that day.

She grinned. "I know which trailer is his," she said slyly.

Erik frowned. "You're bluffing."

"Not at all," she said taking a step back. "I'll return soon with the key!"

And at that she ran out of the tent leaving Erik behind and ignoring his hushed cries for her to stop.

Antoinette found the trailer easy enough. She tried the door and amazingly it was unlocked. Once inside, she heard snoring, meaning Pelo was asleep. She began searching silently for the key. She was terrified that she might get caught, but refused to give up until she found it.

Suddenly she noticed that the trailer had fallen horribly silent. The snoring had ceased.

She slowly looked at the bed in the far side of the trailer and, to her horror, saw that it was empty.

"What are you doing here?!" a deep voice demanded from behind her.

Antoinette was about ready to die of fear, but Pelo grabbed her and spun her around to face him.

"You're cute," he said with a nasty grin. "Are you my nighttime entertainment?" He then threw her to the floor and started to undo his pants.

Antoinette was so terrified that she couldn't move. What had she done?! Why hadn't she listened to Erik?!

**TBC**

**AN: Sorry it's so short!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**Chapter Ten**

Suddenly a dark shadow seemed to form out of nowhere behind Pelo. It threw something around his neck and pulled. Pelo's head snapped back and he grabbed desperately at his throat. He began to make a terrible gurgling noise.

Antoinette stared in horror for a minute or so before she found use of her limbs again. She jumped up and ran back to Erik's tent. She didn't stop running until she was inside.

"Erik! Erik!" she called breathlessly, but he didn't answer. "Erik!" she called again and went to his cage. She gasped.

The cage was empty. The harp was toppled over and the door was wide open. She saw the lock on the ground and picked it up. It had been broken.

What had happened?! It would have taken enormous strength to break it! Where was Erik?!

Then she remembered the shadow that had strangled Pelo. Had that been Erik?!

Just then Erik ran in. "Antoinette!" he said. "Are you all right?" He went to her and took her face in his cold hands. He looked into her eyes for a moment until he realized she was trembling.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"You killed him!" she said frantically. "You…you…"

"I did it to protect you!" he said with not a trace of remorse.

"How did you get out?" she asked. "The lock is broken."

"I broke it," he said, now rubbing the shoulder he had rammed the door with.

Antoinette realized then just how strong Erik was. Not just anyone could break a padlock on their own.

He was quiet for a moment, then he frowned. "You're still shaking," he said. "Are you afraid of me?"

She swallowed hard and didn't answer. She _was_ afraid. His murder scared her. His lack of remorse scared her. His strength scared her…She noticed then that he was nearly a head taller than her.

Erik looked into her eyes pleadingly. "Please don't fear me," he said. He swallowed hard. "I couldn't bear for you to fear me!" He pulled her into a tight, icy embrace. "I would never harm you!"

He was so cold, but a warmth spread through her body starting at her heart. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his thin body and returned his embrace.

"Oh, Erik," she whispered. "I don't fear you…"

Erik looked at her and smiled. He seemed about to say something, but a noise from outside stopped him.

"We should go," he said releasing her. "It's not safe here."

**TBC.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter Eleven: **

Erik grabbed the quilt, took her hand, and ran out of the tent with her. They didn't stop running until they were well away from the carnival.

"Where will you go now?" Antoinette asked walking a few paces in front of him. "Now that you're free?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I would like to go to Paris…"

She realized that they were at her home. The lights were off in the house. Her father was still asleep. "Take me with you!" she said suddenly. She took his cold hands in her warm ones and stared up into his eyes. "Please?"

He was taken aback. "Why on earth would you want to travel with someone like me?"

"I can't bear to live here another day" she pleaded. "My mother is dead and my father hates me. There's nothing here for me!"

Erik reclaimed his hands and walked away a few steps, seemingly in deep thought. "Why not?" he asked softly aloud to himself. He didn't seem to realize he was speaking aloud. "I'd enjoy the company…But what about others? We would surely be hunted…What if I can't protect her?"

Antoinette walked up behind him and softly placed her hands on his shoulders. Under his deathly-cold skin and the rags he called a shirt, she felt strong muscles. "Erik?" she said softly.

He jumped and faced her. He shook his head. "I would want nothing more than for you to come with me, but-"

"Please don't say no!" she burst. "I won't survive much longer if I stay with Father!"

Erik was silent for a bit. He had an unreadable expression on his face. "…Am I abhorrent to you?" he asked softly.

Antoinette didn't understand what that had to do with anything, but she answered anyway. "You are not abhorrent to me," she responded before leaning up to kiss his cheek as if to prove it.

He touched his cheek in disbelief and stared at her. "If you stay with me, you'll never lead a normal life," he said in a decided voice.

"I know," she responded.

"It may be dangerous at times."

"I'm not afraid," she said.

He nodded. "Then pack what you need," he said looking at her house. "Pack lightly."

She nodded, smiling brightly, and quietly went inside and to her bedroom. She packed three dresses, a picture of her mother, and her violin. On her way out she grabbed some bread.

When she went back outside she half-expected Erik to be gone, but he was still there waiting by a tree.

He nodded to her and silently they walked off towards the forest together.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**Chapter Twelve**

"Is this all you own?" Erik asked around three AM when they finally decided to stop in a small cave and sleep a while. He had made a fire in the back of the cave and was now taking a look at her things.

"All that's of value to me," Antoinette answered scooting nearer to the fire.

He asked if he could play her violin. When she acquiesced he took it out and began to play. The music was more beautiful than anything Antoinette had ever heard before! When he was done she applauded.

"You play amazingly!" she said in awe. "Who taught you?"

"I taught myself," he answered proudly, putting the instrument away. "…A long time ago."

"What can you play besides the violin and the harp?" she asked in curiosity.

He smiled proudly. "I play many instruments," he said. "But I love playing the organ the most."

"So you had no teacher?"

His smile changed to one of self-loathing. "Who would teach me?" he asked bitterly.

Antoinette blushed in shame. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I shouldn't have asked."

Erik shook his head. "It's all right," he said. "You should sleep." He gave her the quilt to sleep with.

She shook her head and tried to give it back. "It's yours! I gave it to you," she protested.

Erik shook his head again, a pleased smile on his face. "I'll be fine," he said. "I'm quite used to going without a quilt. Besides, the fire will keep me warm."

Antoinette wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive," he nodded. "Now lie down and I'll sing for you."

Erik apparently didn't need much sleep; he was awake long before Antoinette was. When she asked how long he'd been awake, he answered since sunrise. It was nearing noon when she asked.

"Here, you must be hungry," he said giving her half of some sort of large bird. He must have killed it earlier that day.

"Thank you," she said and took the food gratefully.

"When you're finished, we need to move on," he said taking out the violin. "We're too close to the carnival and your home to be safe. By now they know I'm gone, and they probably know you're gone as well. They're already looking for us, I know, so we have to keep moving."

Antoinette nodded. He played the violin while she ate.

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for the reviews! They keep me going!**

**And sorry about the last update, lol! I accidentally uploaded chapter three instead of chapter thirteen. My mistake. **

**Chapter Thirteen.**

"You can't keep wearing those rags!" Antoinette said later that day. Erik's shirt had caught on a small branch and ripped nearly off.

She took the fabric in her hands and gently tugged at it. It ripped without resistance.

"You can't wear these!" she exclaimed.

"I'll have to until I find something better," he answered, taking the cloth from her and sticking it in his pocket. When she asked about it, he explained that if they left the cloth behind they could be tracked easier.

They walked a while without event. Finally Antoinette spoke. "Erik?" she asked. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"We're heading towards Paris," he said holding a low branch up so she could pass under it. "I doubt we'll actually reach it. We might find a secluded place to build a home before we get there, but we're heading towards Paris."

Antoinette gaped at him in shock. "But that's all the way across France!" she said.

"I know," he said. "Hopefully our pursuers will give up by then."

"And if not?" she asked softly in slight fear.

"And if not, I'll deal with them."

Two days later they came across a farmhouse. They hadn't been able to catch anything to eat for three meals so Erik had Antoinette go up and ask the owners for food. She did as she was asked and received a large amount of food and water. She took it back to Erik at their camp in the forest and they had a feast.

"Was it difficult getting all this?" he asked as he ate.

"Not at all!" she answered, smiling.

"Good," he smiled, pleased. "Then you can do it again if needed."

"All right," she agreed, nodding.

They ate in silence for a while. Finally Erik stood up. "Tonight," he said. "I shall get new clothes."

Antoinette looked at him, startled. "How?" she asked.

He pointed towards the direction of the farmhouse. "Our dear friends at that house,"  
he answered. "I'll sneak in after they're asleep and acquire the items I need."

"But that's-!"

"It's necessary, Antoinette," he said looking at her evenly. He showed no remorse at all for the crime he was about to commit. "If we wish to survive, we must do what is necessary."

Antoinette didn't like it, but she knew it had to be done. "…I understand," she said.

That night Erik left Antoinette behind in the forest and went to the farmhouse. He returned an hour later wearing a white buttoned shirt, black pants, and black and slightly dirty working boots. Surprisingly they fit perfectly on his thin frame.

"It looks really good on you!" Antoinette said with a bright smile.

"It's better than those rags," he said.

"Most definitely," she agreed, not losing her smile.

She stared at him silently then. She was trying to imagine him as a normal man. It was hard to see past his corpse-like exterior. She had been trying since the day before. At last she had it. He was handsome in her mental image. Everything about him had changed, except for his eyes, which were already amazingly beautiful.

"What are you looking at?" Erik asked suddenly, uneasy, jolting her from her thoughts.

Handsome Erik slipped away to be replaced by the real one. He looked uneasy; suspicious even.

Antoinette shook her head. "It's nothing," she said in a reassuring voice. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" he asked, now helping her pack up camp to leave.

"…You," she answered looking away to hide her embarrassed flush.

Erik's eyes widened. "Me? What about me?" he asked, intrigued.

She shook her head and folded the quilt. "It's silly," she said.

"All right," he shrugged taking the quilt from her and putting it in a bag he had also taken from the farmhouse. The bag was big enough to hold everything of theirs.

"How far will we go before we stop tonight?" Antoinette asked once they were finished.

"About five miles," Erik answered. "We should be safe after that….At least for a little while."

**TBC…**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for all the reviews, and thanks for being patient with me while I fixed my update goof. **

**Chapter Fourteen**

Around two AM, Antoinette stopped and grabbed Erik's arm. "Erik," she said. "Look!" She pointed towards an overgrowth in the forest, but through the trees a small cabin was visible.

"A cabin," he said flatly, stating the obvious.

"Can we stay there tonight?" she asked.

"I don't see why not," he answered walking with her towards the cabin. "As long as it's safe to be in."

As they approached the cabin, it became obvious that no one had been inside the house for years. Erik picked up a stone and hurled it at the cabin wall. The stone bounced off with a loud thud and landed in the brush. A few birds flew off into the night, but nothing else happened.

He seemed to take that as a sign the cabin was still sturdy because he went to the door and opened it. "Ladies first," he said.

Antoinette walked inside and looked around. It only had one room with a fireplace with the remnants of an age old fire.

"Erik," she said after looking around. "…There's only one bed…"

The bed was against the far wall and had only the frame and mattress. It had no quilts.

Erik had already knelt beside the fireplace and was trying to get a fire going. "That's fine," he responded not looking up. "I'll take the floor."

"No!" she shook her head. "You've had the worse of all our sleeping arrangements so far. It's your turn to have the bed. _And_ the quilt."

He looked up at her. "You'll be cold if I take it," he stated.

"I'll sleep by the fire," she returned.

After a long time of this Antoinette finally persuaded Erik to have the bed and quilt. She flipped the mattress over for him so he wouldn't be sleeping on dust.

"I haven't slept in a real bed in a long time," he mused once he was lying down with the quilt wrapped over his body.

"Did you miss it?" she asked lying down near the hearth.

"I did," he answered softly.

She smiled and soon heard Erik singing to her softly as he did every night. Soon Antoinette felt herself drift off to sleep.

…………..

She woke to sunlight in her eyes. She sat up and found that she had been covered with the quilt Erik had used the night before. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Erik?" she said standing. "Erik?"

He didn't answer. Worry shot through her. Where was he? Had he been captured?

Antoinette rushed outside and looked around. …No Erik. "Erik?" she called, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"You're finally awake!" his voice responded, though he was nowhere to be seen.

Relief spread through her. "Where are you?" she asked looking around.

His laugh rang through the trees. "Up here," he said.

She looked up and found him in a tree about fifty feet in the air, sitting on a branch. "What are you doing up there?" she called.

"Looking for food. I saw squirrels this morning." He looked up at the branches above him, then back down at her. "If I find them, will you catch them when I drop them?"

She smiled. "I will," she nodded. "Just be careful, ok?"

He gave her a smile and nodded. "I wouldn't dream of being anything but cautious," he assured and climbed higher.

**TBC**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for all the reviews! They make me feel all good inside knowing people actually like this! **

**Chapter Fifteen**

For two days Erik and Antoinette traveled without any event. They slept where they could find shelter and ate whatever they could find.

Around noon on the second day they came across a river with a small waterfall. Erik glanced at it and continued to walk on, but Antoinette stopped him.

"We have to stop for a bath!" she said holding onto his arm so he couldn't go anywhere.

Erik raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Why?" she repeated. "Because I'm dirty! And so are you! We need a bath!"

He was quiet for a moment before nodding to her to go ahead. She cried out in happiness and let him go. She took their bag of clothes and ran to a large rock and sat down on it. She pulled out a clean dress and a bar of soap she had found in the cabin they had spent the night in. She ran off to the waterfall.

"Don't you look either, Erik!" she called behind her, teasing.

"You insult my honour," he responded sitting on a far off rock with his back to the river. He lay on his back and stared up at the sky, enjoying the heat of the summer sun on his cold face.

Antoinette undressed and dove into the fairly deep river. She swam to the waterfall and found she could touch the bottom.

As she took her bath, she thought about her companion. She considered Erik as a friend, but didn't know if he thought of her the same way. She hoped so. She valued his friendship above no other's.

He intrigued her and she was fascinated by him in all aspects. She hated to think about the fact that he had been caged and treated as an animal for many years. Starved, exploited, beaten, and abused.

She felt like crying when she thought about something happening to him.

Antoinette gasped as realization hit her hard. She was falling in love with Erik!

She sank to her nose in the water. This wasn't good at all. If he found out he'd….Well she didn't know what he'd do, but it would be horribly embarrassing if he found out.

She stood up straight and sighed, firmly resolving to ignore her feelings for the man.

"Are you finished, Antoinette?" Erik's voice called suddenly. Speak of the devil! "It's been a while."

"Oh! Yes, I'm finished!" she answered wading out of the water. "I'm drying off!"

"With what?" he called back in confusion.

"The sun!" she responded lying on a rock to bask in the hot sun.

"Oh, all right," he said and was quiet.

It took about fifteen minutes for her to dry. She put her clean dress on and climbed up the river bank to Erik. She gave him the soap and went in search of her hairbrush. She found it and brushed out the tangles of her damp hair and put her dirty dress and the hairbrush back in the bag and sat in the grass to make a daisy chain.

She had made four and a half by the time Erik returned. He wrapped the soap in Antoinette's dirty dress.

"Can I ask you a question?" Antoinette asked softly, not looking at him when he sat next to her.

"I don't see why not," he responded mildly. He took one of her daisy chains and examined it.

"…How did you come to look like you do? ...Were you born that way…Or did something happen?"

"I was born this way," he answered. "My mother hated me so I ran away. I was found by the gypsies and put in a cage…You know the rest."

"How old were you when you were caught?"

"Eight," he said and touched his face, lost in thought. "When I was born, my mother gave me a mask before she gave me clothes. Every year on my birthday she gave me a new mask. I was never allowed to kiss her…She always ran from me…"

Antoinette was near tears from pity for him. "I'm so sorry, Erik," she said taking his cold hand in hers. He dismissed her pity with a shake of his head. "Why are you so cold…?" she asked softly.

"I don't know why," he said taking his hand from hers. "I've always been as cold as death." He looked at her. "May I inquire as to how it feels to be warm?" he asked sarcastically.

She blushed and looked at the grass. "I'm sorry for asking," she said softly.

Erik sighed. "I apologize," he said. "You didn't deserve my anger."

Then, as if to prove his point, he leaned over and kissed her forehead softly.

"I love you, you know," Antoinette said before she realized it.

"What?" he asked in shock, his eyes wide and his mouth open slightly.

Antoinette stood up and went to their bag. She grabbed it and spun around to face him, smiling despite her deep blush. "Well, we should go!" she said a little too brightly.

Erik was still sitting in the grass staring up at her as if she had grown another head. He suddenly stood and went to her. He took the bag from her and let it drop to the ground.

"Erik?" she said wide-eyed. She took a step back and found herself against a boulder.

He silently stepped closer until he was right in front of her.

"What are you--?" she said, but was cut off when he leaned in and capture her lips with his own.

**TBC..**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys like it.**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Antoinette's eyes widened and she tried to back away out of reflex, but Erik held her still. After what seemed like forever he finally ended the kiss and stared at her. A look akin to sadness passed through his eyes.

"I didn't think you loved me…" he said in a soft, sad voice. "No really…I don't blame you. How could you love a corpse?"

He let her go and started to turn away, but in a split second Antoinette grabbed his arm, pulled him back, and crushed her lips to his.

It was now his turn to be surprised, but he soon got over it and pushed her back against the boulder as he kissed her.

Their kiss lasted a long time before they reluctantly pulled away and looked at each other, breathing heavily. Antoinette had her arms wrapped around his neck and Erik was holding the sides of her face with his cold hands. His lips had been cold as well, but it felt to her as if fire had flooded through her. She hadn't expected him to kiss her the first time, but she was happy it happened.

"We need to move on," Erik said letting her go. He turned and went to their bag, picking it up.

Six days later they came to the edge of the forest they had been traveling in. A town lay ahead and there was no way to get around it.

Erik reached out and took Antoinette's hand in his. "Here," he said putting something in her hand. "Take this and go into town. Buy a cloak and a new dress or something for yourself."

Antoinette opened her hand and gaped at the money. "Where did you get all this?!" she asked in awe.

"I took it from Pelo's trailer at the carnival," he answered as if they were discussing the weather. "Now go and don't take too long les I come fetch you."

She smiled. He wouldn't go into public for her unless she was in grave danger. "I'll return in an hour or two," she said and left the forest after receiving a gentle kiss on the forehead from him.

Antoinette returned two and a half hours later with two packages. One was the black cloak Erik had wanted and the other was a summer dress.

"Here," she said giving Erik the cloak and putting the dress in their bag.

He unwrapped the package and put on the cloak, pulling the hood over his head. It completely hid his face, but she could see him smile underneath. It fit perfectly.

"Come," he said stepping out of the trees. "We will sleep in an inn tonight."

Antoinette smiled brightly. An inn meant a warm bed, food, and a real bath in a real bathtub! She took their bag and followed him into town. Several people stared at them, but didn't say or do anything.

"Why are we staying in an inn?" Antoinette asked around noon when they had settled into their room.

Erik hung up his cloak. "I figured you would enjoy it more than sleeping in the open."

"You were right," she smiled and kissed him. "Now I'm going to get a bath."

She took her new dress and went into the bathroom and shut the door. She smiled. She had missed the sight of a bath tub. Soap and shampoo were there beside the tub and fresh towels were hanging up. She sighed in happiness and filled the tub, undressed, and got in.

She must have fallen asleep because suddenly the water was cold and Erik was standing in the doorway, wide-eyed, with an expression mixed of worry and shock.

Antoinette screamed in surprise and hugged her knees. "What are you doing in here?!" she cried, turning scarlet.

He blinked and shook his head quickly. "You've been in here for over an hour and you didn't answer when I called so I thought something was wrong."

"No, I fell asleep," she said. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," he answered truthfully. He turned around to give her privacy. "I apologize," he said and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Antoinette let out a deep breath and laughed at herself as she got out of the tub.

**TBC.**


	17. Chapter 17

At around ten PM that night they went to bed.

Antoinette crawled into hers and snuggled up in the warm blankets while Erik went around the room putting out the candles until the only light came from the fire in the fireplace. When he was finished he went to her bed and sat next to her.

"Hi," she said smiling.

"Sleep," he commanded gently and began to sing to her in his beautiful voice.

"...Will you…" she began and trailed off blushing madly.

His brow furrowed in confusion and he cut off his song. "Will I what?" he asked.

"…Will you sleep with me tonight?" she asked in a voice barely audible.

"Why?" he asked.

"I want you to hold me while I sleep," she responded unable to look at him out of embarrassment.

Finally Erik smiled and nodded. "I'll hold you," he said to her. "Now sleep."

His song started once more and Antoinette fell asleep not long after. Sometime during the night she was woken by the bed shifting from movement. She opened her eyes and saw Erik lying next to her just as he promised. He saw she was awake and kissed her temple while sliding his arm around her body to hold her.

"Thank you, Erik," she said sleepily.

He answered by humming a tune softly in her ear.

The next morning Antoinette woke to find herself alone in the bed. How Erik left without waking her was a mystery.

She sat up, stretching, and found him sitting at the room's writing desk, scribbling away at something. He seemed to be completely absorbed in whatever he was doing.

She got up and went to him, looking over his shoulder, and saw many notes scrawled on the paper.

He was composing music!

She read the title. "Don Juan Triumphant," she read aloud.

He looked up at her as if just noticing her there and nodded. "It just came to me this morning," he said.

"Will you play it for me when you're finished?" she asked caressing one side of his face.

He closed his eyes in contentment for a moment, then looked at her. "When I finish," he agreed.

"Can we stay here another day?" she asked suddenly. "I'm sure our pursuers won't catch up with us for a while."

"Why do you want to stay another night?" he asked..

"Because it's so wonderful here!" she said smiling. "I only want to stay one more day, and then we can move on. Just one more night in a real bed."

Erik thought for a moment before nodding. "One more day," he agreed finally, earning himself a kiss from her.

Later that day Erik sent Antoinette out into the town to search for a block of wood and carving tools for him. She didn't know why he wanted them, but she looked anyway.

"I hope this is good enough," she said when she returned to the room with the items.

Erik was still composing music, but he stopped when she entered and stood. He walked over to her and took the wood and tools.

"This is just fine," he said, pleased. "Thank you."

He put on his cloak to hide his face and went onto the balcony and sat with block of wood in front of him. He stared at the wood for a long time, obviously lost to his thoughts, then he began to chip away at the wood.

"What are you making?" she asked.

"A mask."

He didn't finish the mask that night. He stopped working around eight PM to get a bath. When he returned he found that food had been brought up for them.

After eating, Erik asked Antoinette to play the violin for him before they retired to bed. She did and played well, though she played nowhere near as well as he could. He applauded her when she was finished.

"Brava!" he said as she put the instrument away. "Now I can sleep peacefully with your music playing in my head."

She blushed at his compliment. "Will you sleep with me again tonight?"

He nodded, standing to put out all the candles. When all the candles were out he came back and sat next to Antoinette who had already changed and gotten into bed.

"Please don't sing me to sleep tonight," she said softly.

"No?" he responded looking at her curiously.

"No," she repeated. "I want to feel you holding me while I'm awake and not just half-asleep."

He smiled. "You are truly an odd woman, Antoinette," he said. "Everyone fears me, but you love me. You love me despite my hideous appearance."

She sat up. "Erik," she said reaching up to trace his cheek with her fingers. "Do you return my love?"

He took hold of her wandering hand and kissed her palm softly. "I do return your love," he said looking into her eyes. "I love you."

Antoinette smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her for a kiss, which he immediately returned.

It soon escalated into a fiery, passionate kiss and Antoinette found herself lying on her back with Erik leaning over her. She stared into his eyes for a moment before coming up to kiss him again.

She felt his hand slowly run up the side of her body as he moved his kisses down her neck. She ran her hands over his back and un-tucked his shirt. She slid her hands over his cold skin and he shivered in response.

She leaned up and nipped gently at his ear. "…I am yours forever," she whispered into his ear. He turned his head and captured her lips with his own.

Somehow Antoinette's dress was lost and she shivered against the sudden cold air.

She felt his need for her against his thigh. She reached up and unbuttoned his shirt. She slid it off his shoulders, allowing it to drop to the bed.

It was then that they realized that they had passed the point of no return…

**TBC**


	18. Chapter 18

Antoinette woke the next morning around ten AM. She opened her eyes and saw Erik sitting at the writing desk composing music. A finished wooden mask lay beside him on the desk, sanded and everything.

"Good morning," she said smiling, not moving.

He turned to look at her. "Good morning," he answered warmly. "I hope you slept well."

"I did," she answered.

"Good," he said and turned back to his music.

She reached over the side of the bed, looking for her dress that had fallen there the night before, but it wasn't there. She looked around and found it folded on a chair near the bed. She got up and found a clean dress and put it on, wincing with each movement. She was sore.

When she finished dressing, she went to Erik and kissed his cold cheek before picking up the mask to examine it. It was beautifully done. "It's wonderful," she complimented. "You're very talented. …But why did you make it?"

He took the mask from her and put it back on the table. "It's not finished yet," he said. "And I need it to hide my abhorrent face." He ran his fingers over the mask. "Look," he said distantly with a vague smile on his face. "It has a nose…"

Antoinette sighed and gently took hold of the sides of his face and made him look up at her. "Why do you want to hide your face from me?" she asked. "You are in no way abhorrent to me."

He sighed sadly and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his forehead against her stomach as a child would do with his mother. Antoinette wrapped one arm around Erik's back and stroked his hand with the other hand. "I love you," she said.

"I know you do, but everyone else in this world thinks me a monster," he said sounding a bit muffled due to him talking into her stomach. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "You love a monster, Antoinette…You slept with a corpse!" Two tears ran down his face.

She sank to her knees so she was nearly eye-level with him. She wiped the tears off his face. "You're wrong,' she said smiling gently. "I love a man…I slept with a man. And I don't regret a second of it."

Erik smiled and another tear fell. Antoinette kissed this one away. He pulled her into a tight embrace which she returned.

They held each other for a long time until she kissed his forehead.

"I'm going to get a bath," she said standing. She walked away and he held onto her hand until she was out of his reach.

She went into the bathroom and closed the door. She undressed and ran her bath water. As the water ran she got into the tub and hugged her knees. "Poor Erik…" she said softly and began to cry over him. It wasn't fair how he was treated. He couldn't help how he looked. Why was fate so cruel to him who had such a beautiful heart and had stolen hers.

Erik stayed in his depression until about noon. After that he was in a very good mood.

They ate, packed, then left the hotel, Erik wearing his cloak and mask. They exited the town quickly and continued across the grassy fields away from the roads towards Paris.

"How do you even know we're going the right way?" Antoinette asked as they walked.

"I can tell by the stars. Paris is north so we're following the North Star," Erik answered. "I found the star last night."

She wondered how he knew all this, but didn't ask.

Five days passed. One the third day they came to forest again so Erik took off his cloak.

In the late afternoon of the fifth day the two stopped at a fast flowing river in a small grassy clearing in the forest. Antoinette decided that she would wash clothes there. She pulled out her dirty dresses and soap and sat on the riverbank.

"Give me your clothes, Erik," she said shaking the dirt off one of her dresses.

Erik looked down at himself, at his only set of clothes, then back at her. "What will I wear while you're washing them?" he asked.

She looked back at him and shrugged. "Your cloak, I guess. I don't care, but I need your clothes. You can't even tell that it was once a white shirt."

"It's not my fault!" he said, but started unbuttoning his shirt. Once it was off he tossed it to her. He did the same with the rest of his clothes, took his cloak out of the bag, wrapped it around himself, and sat in the grass unhappily.

She decided to was the dress she was wearing as well so she took it off and wrapped herself up in their quilt.

She finished washing all the clothes and hung them over low branches to dry.

"How long will they take to dry?" Erik asked when she sat next to him.

"Depends," she responded shrugging under the heavy quilt. "Probably anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours." She lay backwards in the tall grass. "You know, this is nice."

"What? Sitting around for hours wearing nothing but a quilt and a cloak?" he responded sarcastically.

"No, being here with you," she said.

"Oh."

She moved so she was lying her head in his lap. "Hi up there," she smiled.

He smiled back and stroked her hair.

Sometime while waiting for their clothes to dry, they ended up making love in the soft grass.

"I love you," Antoinette said kissing him softly afterwards.

"And I you," Erik responded

She curled up next to him with her head lying on his cold chest. A cool breeze blew through suddenly so she pulled quilt over them and they dozed off together in the summer sun, both completely content and happy.

Antoinette woke first for once and checked the clothes. They were completely dry. She dressed and put the rest of her dresses in their bag. She brushed out her hair and sat down in the grass near Erik and watched him sleep.

She smiled. He looked so peaceful…

**TBC**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"You're finally awake!" Antoinette said brightly when Erik opened his eyes.

He sat up and stretched, causing the quilt to fall to his lap. "How long was I asleep?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

They didn't have a clock so she had to guess. "Mmm, about half an hour," she responded.

He looked up at the sun. "We can still travel for another two or so hours," he said getting up and putting on his clothes.

Antoinette went to the bag and took out her brush. "Here," she said pulling him to sit on a boulder next to the water. She sat behind him. "Let me brush out your hair and remove the grass from it." He didn't protest and she proceeded.

She loved his hair not because it was full-bodied or thick; it was actually rather thin and hanging limply to his shoulders. The reason she loved his hair was because it was incredibly soft; soft as baby's hair. She never tired of running her fingers through it.

* * *

At dusk they were walking along the same river. They could see the blazing sunset through the trees ahead of them. 

"God, it's beautiful," Antoinette said when she saw it.

Erik nodded. She leaned up and captured his lips with her own.

It was a sweet kiss, but it was interrupted.

"Ew! You're kissing!" a child's voice said in disgust. The voice came from behind Erik.

The two broke apart and looked at the child in surprise. It was a little girl in a yellow sundress.

Upon seeing Erik's face the girl's eyes widened and she screamed in horror before running in the opposite direction.

"She won't be back…" Erik said softly. "I scare even children…We should move on."

Antoinette didn't know how to respond to his comment, so she just nodded and picked up the bag. However, before they could go anywhere, the little girl's voice was heard again.

"See, Daddy? There is is!"

Erik and Antoinette spun around to see the girl standing with several men with rifles.

"Oh my god!" a man cried out in horror. "It's a corpse!"

"How is it standing?" another gasped. "It's-"

"It's a demon!"

Erik and Antoinette were too horrified to do anything but stand there. Suddenly a bullet whizzed past their heads, bringing them out of their horror.

"Run!" Erik yelled, shoving Antoinette ahead of him.

"What about the girl?" they heard one of the men ask.

"She was kissing it!" the little girl said.

"Kill them both!"

Antoinette looked back at Erik as she ran through the trees. She knew he could run faster then he was, so why wasn't he?

"Don't look back, just run!" he yelled at her.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know!"

Another shot whizzed past, closer than before. Antoinette screamed as her foot caught a root and she fell. Immediately Erik pulled her up and they took off running again. He pushed her in front once again.

Another shot was fired and Erik cried out in pain.

**TBC…**

**AN:** Sorry it's so short! I got really busy today….That and I love giving you guys cliffhangers. Mwahahahahaaaa! hackcoughwheeze


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"I got it!" one of the men cried out in triumph! "I got the monster!" His companions congratulated him.

"Wait, you just grazed it!" another spoke up suddenly.

Antoinette looked behind her. Erik was holding his left arm tightly as he ran. He gave her a sharp look and she looked back ahead and kept running.

Suddenly he grabbed her and pulled her to the right into thick underbrush. Erik slowed to a walk and looked around frantically, holding his arm again. "In here!" he said suddenly and pulled her into a small depression in the earth covered by brush.

Once hidden, Antoinette hugged him tightly and sobbed in fear. "Are you ok?!" she whispered.

"I'm fine," he responded, but she didn't believe him. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Why were you running so slowly?!"

"I'd rather get shot than you."

She cried harder and hugged him again. "Erik, I'm scared!"

"I know," he said softly, holding her tightly. His left arm hurt like hell, but he had to ignore it for now.

Suddenly their pursuers were heard. "Where did they go?!" one asked.

"Split up!"

Antoinette and Erik could hear footsteps above them. Antoinette moved closer to Erik and held him tighter in fear. He held her closer in protection. Neither dared to move and barely dared to breathe.

Suddenly the footsteps stopped and a man threw back the brush covering them. Antoinette and Erik unconsciously held each other tighter.

"I found you, demon!" he laughed in victory. He looked at Antoinette. "What's a pretty girl like you doing with this thing? Are you human or are you a demon too? You're just another deception of Satan!" He shoved the barrel of his gun at them. "Stop holding each other like that! Stop showing such human emotions!"

Right at that moment Erik grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it in the man's eyes, blinding him.

"W-what did you do?!" the man demanded, staggering back, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

Erik let go of Antoinette and shoved the man backwards. He grabbed a hanging vine and wrapped it around the man's neck and tightened it. He clawed at his throat desperately, but it was no use. Erik had an almost evil look on his face as he killed the man. He looked truly menacing and a little demented.

Finally the man went limp and Erik let him go. He slumped lifelessly to the ground.

Erik went to Antoinette and held out his hand to her. "Come," he said urgently. "We have to leave!"

She looked at the dead man then at Erik. She reached out and took his cold hand.

"We'll have to be careful," he said. "Who knows where the others are."

"Where will we go?" she asked following him as he led her through the trees.

"I don't know," he said pushing a branch aside. "Away from here."

They ran and ran and ran, only glancing their pursuers twice. They weren't caught again.

Once they knew they were safe, they stopped. They had run out of the woods and were at a small creek.

Antoinette hugged him. "I was so scared!" she said, then remembered his arm. "Let me see your arm!" she said. "Take off your shirt!"

He didn't unbutton it fast enough for her so she did it herself. Once the shirt was gone she saw the injury. He had been hit just below his shoulder and it was bleeding a bit, but it was nothing serious. He had only been grazed.

She got her oldest dress and ripped a piece off. She dipped it in the creek and tied it to his arm. "Keep your shirt off until it's healed," she told him.

"But that will take weeks!" he protested, stubbornly putting his shirt back on. "I say no."

"Fine, do as you wish," she sighed and looked around here. "Let's sleep here tonight," she said pulling out the quilt. She spread it out in the grass and took out her violin.

"You sleep and I'll play for you," she said.

"I take a very long time to go to sleep," he said.

"Then I'll play three songs for you," she said. He sat down on the quilt and she began to play.

It was good that she played that night. It helped both forget, for the moment, the horrendous events that had taken place earlier.

"Brava," he praised when she was finished. "Now put it away and come sleep."

She put the violin away and lay down next to him. They fell asleep together in each other's arms under the stars.

**TBC.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Weeks passed and they decided to not go to Paris after all.

Erik finished his mask. It was now painted white and had a black ribbon attached to it to tie the mask to his face. He wore it under his cloak when passing through towns.

He wouldn't admit it, but Antoinette knew that the incident when they were hunted and called demons hurt Erik deeply. He became bitter to everything and everyone, including her, for days afterwards.

Erik finally decided they were safe from their pursuers from the carnival so they stopped traveling so quickly and began looking for a suitable place to settle down.

The two grew closer each day.

* * *

"What are you writing?" Antoinette asked on night, mending one of her dresses. They were sitting around a campfire in a grassy field. She got up from her spot and peeked over Erik's shoulder. "Is it your Don Juan?"

Suddenly he clamped the paper to his chest, hiding its contents from her view. This surprised her since usually he would love to show off his work.

"It's not finished!" he said with a slight blush. She had never seen him do that before.

"You've let me read your Don Juan before," she responded in confusion.

"It's not Don Juan," he said and looked up at her. "Please don't look."

She looked at him for a moment before nodding. She went back to her place at the fire. She continued sewing, wondering what he could be writing.

* * *

The next day Erik went off on his own, wearing his mask and cloak, telling Antoinette to stay put. He returned hours later. When she asked him about his whereabouts, he shrugged it off and went back to work on whatever he was writing.

That night they moved on and came to a town. They rented a room in the inn.

"Tomorrow we're going shopping," he announced as he looked out the window at the moon.

"For what?" Antoinette asked brushing her damp, recently washed hair.

"Clothes and a carriage."

"A carriage?" she repeated, stopping her brushing. "Why?"

He looked at her. "So we don't have to travel unprotected in the rain anymore. It's a matter of time one of us gets sick."

He had a point so Antoinette agreed.

* * *

True to his word, Erik bought a horse and carriage. Antoinette had to admit that it was nice, but she couldn't help but wonder where he got the money. She asked, but he told her that it came from the carnival worker, Pelo. She only half-believed him.

After buying the carriage, they went shopping for new clothes. In the stores, people stared, but they didn't care. Erik bought Antoinette many new dresses. He bought himself several new pairs of clothing including a new cloak, a black fedora, and black gloves. He also bought them both new shoes.

"Where in the world did you get all this money?!" Antoinette hissed as they walked out of the shop. They loaded all the clothes into their carriage.

"Pelo, from the carnival," he said simply, helping her into the carriage.

He closed the door and climbed up into the driver's seat and set off. Antoinette opened the carriage window and glared. "Don't lie to me!" she said. "I know a carnival worker doesn't have anything close to the amount you spent today!"

Erik looked back at her. She couldn't see his expression due to the mask, but she knew he was smiling. He closed the window without a word, ending the conversation.

She fumed all the way back to the inn, but didn't bring it back up. She knew he stole it from somewhere; probably when he went off alone the day before.

* * *

"Thank you for the clothes," Antoinette said that night, kissing his cheek. He was working on Don Juan. "But I haven't seen you in your new clothes yet."

He looked up at her and smiled. "I am not putting on a show for you," he said.

She pouted. "Fine," she said and hugged him from behind. "So did you finish the Secret Composition?"

"Secret what?" he asked in confusion, looking back at her, bewildered.

"That music you were working on and wouldn't let me see."

"Oh that," he said turning back around. "No, it's not finished."

Knowing the conversation was over she let him go and he went back to work.

* * *

Nearly a month passed. Erik didn't stay with Antoinette at the inn much at all. He left early in the morning before she woke and returned late at night to sleep. He refused to tell her where he went everyday and she began to fret despite his assurances that everything was fine.

Finally one night Erik came in with something in his hand. He went to Antoinette who was reading a book on their bed and handed it to her without a word.

"What's this?" she asked sitting up to read it. It was a piece of music had written that she had never seen before. "The Music of the Night," she read. "Did you write this for me?"

He nodded with a barely noticeable blush. "I was going to give it to you when I took you to our home tomorrow, but…" he trailed off and looked away.

"What home?" she asked in confusion.

"I found a patch of property in a clearing near the forest two or so miles from here," he explained. "I bought it and built a home there."

"So _that's_ what you've been doing everyday!" she burst, smiling brightly. He nodded and she got up and threw her arms around him happily. She kissed him repeatedly, nearly crying from her happiness.

She finally let him go. She sat back down and looked at the music. "Will you sing it for me?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded, kissing her forehead. He sat down and began to sing.

Antoinette was unable to speak when he finished. She was crying from the sheer beauty of the song and the fact that he had wrote it just for her.

"Thank you," she said when she finally found her voice. "It was beautiful." She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. She loved him so much!

**TBC**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

The next morning the Erik and Antoinette packed up to leave the inn. He was positively giddy when he helped her into the carriage.

"No peeking until we get there," he said with a coy smile. He kissed her forehead, closed the door, and set off.

As they rode, Antoinette couldn't stop smiling. He was so wonderful and she loved him so much! She had no clue as to what she had done to deserve him. She knew that most people would think that she was cursed to have a lover like Erik, but she knew otherwise; he was the biggest blessing she had ever received.

A little while later the carriage stopped. The carriage door opened to show Erik standing there, void of any cloak or mask. He held out his hand to her. "We're here," he said, an excited smile on his face. "Take my hand and cover your eyes."

She did and he picked her up out of the carriage and set her down on the grass before leading her. She felt the dew in the grass against her ankles.

"How far?" she smiled, playfully trying to peek.

"Not far now," he said and slid his free hand under hers to cover her eyes himself. He laughed softly in her ear, sending chills down her spine. "I said, 'no peeking'…"

They walked some more and finally he stopped. "We're here," he said and removed his hand. Antoinette blinked open her eyes. When she saw what was before her, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

A large wooden 1-floor home sat in the middle of a large clearing of forest. Four chimneys rose from the roof of the house. She saw no bathhouse or well pump, so that meant the home had indoor plumbing. A stable for the horse was behind the house and a small corral for it to run. The stable even had a place for the carriage to stay. To the side of the house was a clothesline, and rock footpaths led from the front door to the clothesline and the stable.

"What do you think?" Erik asked.

"You did this all by yourself?" she asked in awe.

"I did," he said proudly.

"It's amazing!" she said. "…And it's ours…Our home…"

He nodded and she turned to him. "Thank you," she said smiling brightly. She wiped away a couple of tears and hugged him tightly. She couldn't hold them back anymore and cried happily into his shoulder.

"You haven't seen the inside yet," he smiled, wiping away her tears. He led her to the door and opened it for her.

They were inside a large room with a huge fireplace on one wall. A bookshelf full of books was there also. A plush couch and armchair sat with a phonograph on an end table. On the other side of the room was a desk against a wall and with it also sat a pipe organ.

"This is wonderful!" she said running her hands over everything. She came to the organ and lightly ran her fingers over the keys. "You said that you love the organ the best. I guess this area is your work area?"

"That's right," he said and ushered her through a doorless entryway leading into a large kitchen with many cabinets, a pantry, and an icebox. It had marble countertops and a modern wood stove. A wooden table sat in the middle of the room with four chairs.

The next room was their bedroom. It had a huge soft rug in the middle of the floor. A huge bed was there with many pillows. Three windows lit the room. A huge fireplace was on the other side of the room.

Antoinette ran her hand over the sheets distantly. Everything was so amazing that she could hardly imagine living her there rest of her life.

"So how do you like it?" Erik asked holding her from behind.

She turned around and smiled up at him. "I love it all! I can't believe that this is ours."

"It's ours forever," he said and kissed her forehead softly.

"Thank you, Erik," she said. "I don't deserve any of this…I don't deserve you at all…"

He shook his head with a smile and left the house to bring up the carriage and to take in all their possessions.

**TBC**

**  
AN: Sorry it's so short! **


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